QUESTION: What's Your **Real** Job Description?

Haha @EmilyCowan! This is so accurate, especially the loud, repetitive noises part. I'd also add willingness to ask the same questions over and over and over. 

Looking forward to some great member responses! 

This would be mine for NutraBella - haha! 

"Wanted: Self-motivated, able-to-survive-on-little-sleep, fake-it-til-you-make-it multitasker to manage fast growing functional food and vitamin company. Required skills include managing a roller coaster cash flow, navigating an "old school" industry and coordinating multiple suppliers who work on their own time schedule. High tolerance for complete ambiguity and total chaos. Must be willing to work for "high-fives" and "I love your product."

I love this, @LeslieBarber! A high tolerance for ambiguity and chaos is just what's required to truly appreciate all those high-fives and "love your products." You have to be able to let go a little bit to grab your motivation where you can find it.

@EmilyCowan , 

Great Question! 

While this is not exactly what you were asking I hope you will appreciate my answer...

Prior to Parkway Business Solutions, I spent about 14 years in the Mobile Electronics industry during which time I managed a couple multi-million-dollar locations.  Officially my title was Operations Manager, but somewhere between 2008 and 2010 I decided to get a special batch of business cards made just for special occasions.

As any business manager knows, it is your job to turn unhappy clients back into happy friends and this is where the business cards came into play.

From time to time we would get an irate customer that was demanding to speak to the manager, and I was always trained that you never hesitate to confront an uncomfortable situation. So, when those requests came across, I would grab one of the special cards and proceeded to hand it to the client while I introduced myself by name and never title.

Almost immediately, I always got the same question,

"Where is the manager, I asked for the manger"

So, I very calmly replied,

"That's me, I am him."

And again, like clockwork they would respond

"But that's not what your card says"

"I know, but since I am the guy who has to clean up the messes around here,

I felt JANITOR was a more appropriate title"

99.9% of the time, it did the job! It diffused the situation and allowed us to work toward a friendly solution.

LOL, @ParkwayInc - that's FANTASTIC!! A little humor goes a long way toward diffusing a tense situation, in work as in life :smileyhappy:

What do you think, @SteveChase? When training employees for managerial roles, should "judicious deployment of wry sense of humor" be a required skillset?

One thing I love about interviewing small business owners is how they articulate their jobs. It's really hard to boil it down when you are the boss and the employee and the HR, the Janitor (@ParkwayInc), driver, accountant, etc. Having to really think about what it is that you DO can very different than your actual job description for sure!

My nickname has been SPOT since I was a freshman in high school. But that is a story for another time :)

---

@ParkwayInc wrote:

My nickname has been SPOT since I was a freshman in high school. But that is a story for another time :)

@ParkwayInc, I've got it! Savvy Proponent Of Technology!!

No? Hmmm...must've been something else :smileywink:

Hey @Wizard - thanks for the kudo :smileyhappy: You want to weigh in here? What's your *real* job description?

It's just now occurring to me that I never asked you why you were looking to build a mobile app! What business are you in?

@EmilyCowan  While that may not have been what it stood for before, it has now been converted!  I love it

@ParkwayInc, that is definitely makes my Top 5 for most awesome ways to diffuse a situation!! Humor is always a powerful tool and you nailed it.

Hey, thanks for the kudo @TJPJ! What's your job description these days?

Thanks @Peter_G_Stone!

The way I see it, if work is going to be such a big part of our everyday life, I want to make the trip as much fun as I possibly can!

---

@ParkwayInc wrote:

Thanks @Peter_G_Stone!

 

The way I see it, if work is going to be such a big part of our everyday life, I want to make the trip as much fun as I possibly can!

---

@ParkwayInc, I 100% agree with you on that!!

Hmm...My job description goes like this.  Chief fireman (to handle urgent request), referee (to stop petty disagreements with staff), phyciatrist (listening to staff personal problems), haz-mat specialist (cleaning after everyone goes home and leaves food and drink on desk), switchboard operator (answer phone when no one else is around) and I'm sure there is more but these are the big ones....

I love it @LOChurch!! What business are you in (LOL, besides firefighting hazmat psychiatry)?

We sell and repair commercial laundry equipment